Wheat-dogg's World

JISHOU, HUNAN — Since the university is about two miles from downtown Jishou, I miss a lot of the activity there. Last week, I wanted to visit a downtown computer store, but my friends here advised me there was some kind of citizen protest in Jishou City, and that perhaps I should wait to do my shopping.

Little did I realize the ruckus was big enough to make The Washington Post. As described in this ex-pat’s blog and in this one, the protest involved about 10,000 people who apparently felt they had been cheated out their money in a fund raising scheme. There were arrests and 50 protesters were injured. Troops were called in.

So, yeah, I guess it was better I stayed home.

By and large, I have never felt threatened or ill at ease since landing in Hong Kong. The travel guides say that, with a few exceptions near border crossings and seedy parts of town, street crime is practically non-existent here. The biggest danger is actually dodging cars and other vehicles when cross the streets. Cross-walks, as we used to joke in New York, are really just target zones.

Money brings out the worst in people, especially if they have risked their life savings in some high-yield investment scheme. According to The Post article, the rapid expansion of the Chinese economy has spurred a consequent increase in corruption by people trying to make a quick yuan. The high-interest investment scam here was just one example.